


Paper Hearts

by Fenikkusu_Ai



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: F/M, Fortune Telling, Tarot, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-12
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-02-17 01:55:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2292602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fenikkusu_Ai/pseuds/Fenikkusu_Ai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being obsessed can be considered perfectly natural.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saiou and Karin meet.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX or any of its characters except for "the girl."

 

 

"What more do you wish to hear?" the fortuneteller inquired softly.

The girl stared at the cards. Her gaze appeared murky and disconnected. Saiou didn't like that look. It was a look of obsession.

"My father," the girl whispered. "Can you tell me if he will get well?"

Saiou sighed. He dreaded topics such as these even if the cards were never wrong in their predictions.

"This is your father now, correct?" The card he had drawn showed a man just about ready to collapse under the immensely heavy weight of ten slim rods as he trudged up a mountainside. The Ten of Wands.

The girl's eyes narrowed. "It looks like a…struggle." Her gaze met his own. "What does it mean?"

"Just what you said. Sometimes, the cards speak for themselves. Your father has been fighting long and hard against his illness." Sartorius had pointedly decided not to press about the nature of this potentially life-threatening malady.

The girl was now absently chewing her lip. "But…will he…live?" She was very obviously holding back tears.

In answer, he drew another card; squinting down at the ensuing depiction. "The Three of Wands," he observed. "Decisions will be made and alternate treatment options will be explored. Let us draw another card in the hopes that your query becomes clearer."

With a light rap, the third card lightly touched the tabletop. In spite of himself, he smiled—his expression synonymous with the golden-clad, raven-haired woman that had been painted on the card itself.

"The Nine of Pentacles. Security and success is in your father's future. You have nothing to fear."

The girl raised her head up; wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. She seemed overwrought.

"Thank you," she rasped.

"Your gratitude isn't necessary. I am merely a Messenger of Fate. This result would've happened anyway; I'm merely revealing the result in advance.

"Oh." The girl's head drooped.

Saiou clasped his hands and studied the oddly halting and silent girl. Her pale face was obscured by an overwhelming ginger-colored mane. To anyone's eyes, she resembled a profoundly defeated person. However, Saiou was not one to judge. Or take interest for that matter.

Collecting the three stray Tarot cards, Saiou motioned to put away his deck. The reading was over.

"Wait."

Saiou froze. He could sense her uneasy mind. "Yes?"

"I want to learn about my love life. I want to see…if there is anyone for me in the future."

A harmless enough question. Never one to turn away a querent—within reason of course—Saiou found himself already shuffling the deck.

"What do you wish to know about in particular?"

The girl met his gaze once more; her hazel green eyes vaguely misty. "I want to know who he is or how I might recognize him."

Immediately, Saiou set down to work. The girl was a paying client after all. Indeed, this was the fourth occasion he had divined for her. He was beginning to find her presence worrisome, but then again, he suspected she just needed consolation. And company.

Nevertheless, he was a professional. He told clients the truth and nothing more.

For perhaps the hundred thousandth time in his life, Saiou flipped over a card. "This is how you will recognize your future…" His words broke off as his attention was completely taken over by the card. The card.

His old adversary, the Devil, stared up at him in all his terrible glory.

"Is there something wrong?" The girl's voice was edgy.

It had to be a mistake. Yet, no mistake could have been made. The cards never lied. Reshuffling them would have been unnecessary especially when he would only reach the exact same outcome.

Sartorius found the strength to steel himself. "The man you will become involved with will be of the unscrupulous sort. He will be overtaken by his baser instincts that could border on…evil."

The girl's mouth dropped open. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

A silence filled the room as the candles kept on burning. The girl was observably beside herself. Instantly, Saiou understood. She had already been of a timid nature and now he had given her reason to worry. Naturally, he felt it proper to politely elaborate.

"Of course, the Devil could also correspond to someone born under the sign of Capricorn. It's all a matter of interpretation."

"I'm a Cancer," the girl blurted out.

Saiou lost his train of thought. "Pardon?"

"My zodiac sign is Cancer the Crab. Capricorn is my opposite sign. It's the absolute worst match for me."

"I'm afraid Astrology is not my area of expertise. Will that be all?" Saiou was getting impatient. His eyes kept drifting back to that damnable card.

"Yes." The girl sounded depressed. "That's it for now."

Saiou snatched up the card that was offending his sight. She would be back. Of that he was certain.

"How much do I owe you?"

Saiou checked the clock. "Our appointment was 4:45 and it is now 5:09. Twenty-four minutes. That will be twenty-four dollars."

Mechanically, the girl threw the money on the table. If she kept this up, she'd have no funds left. But, it was not his place to lecture to a paying customer.

"Thank you again." The girl ducked her head nervously. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You're welcome. Have a safe journey home."

With that, the nameless girl left the room.

A/N: This was written in 2007, and it's probably too old to be updated, but I might try.


	2. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saiou ruminates in the bath; Karin sulks.

The dense steam closed in over him as Saiou allowed his head to rest on the tub's edge. His last reading with an elderly man he had never seen before ended at 5:43 and he stopped taking customers at 6:00. The elderly man's queries had been easy enough to answer and their business had concluded smoothly. The gentleman would not be back.

However, not all business could be as such.

Frowning, Saiou closed his eyes and thought back to the nervous girl that seemed to deliberately seek him out.

She must not have a lot of friends. She must be looking for a miracle in the Tarot…or in me.

It wasn't as if the girl herself had caused him distress; it was the card she had coaxed him to collect that had prompted such a reaction. He shouldn't be afraid of Major Arcana 15, but sometimes despair overwhelmed him when he considered his inevitable fate—a fate he couldn't even begin to explain to this girl.

Which begs the question: why was she given that card in particular? Could somebody else be as evil as me?

Foolhardily smirking at his to-be tragic destiny; Saiou rose from the rapidly cooling water and grabbed for the fluffy towel he had laid out for himself a half hour or so before.

He usually bathed after his readings. Often, drawing the cards for complete strangers or drawing the cards in general made him feel unclean. Especially when the Devil crossed his path.

I should speak with Mizuchi or Edo about this. Perhaps they have more experience with hopeless female infatuations.

If it were all the same, Saiou would prefer never meeting with her again. Her glazed eyes unnerved him, her slumped shoulders and wan expression alarmed him, and the card she had indirectly requested was the icing on the cake.

Lost in thought, Saiou reached for the robe that hung on a nearby hook whilst simultaneously redirecting the towel to his dripping navy blue hair.

 

 

\---

 

 

Halfheartedly, the girl bobbed her head to the beat of the music issuing from the computer speakers. Her mother had just recently arrived from work and now it was presumably time for dinner.

What will it be? Noodles? Burgers? Fried Chicken?

Some would consider herself lucky. From four to six-thirty, she had her run of the house. With a mother that worked mornings and most of the nights away, she had oodles of free time. Had it not been for her cat Kukki, she would have spent it alone.

It wasn't as if she was chronically anti-social; it was just that she preferred her solitude. Most people didn't get her anyway. As long as there was a check next to her name one the daily attendance sheet, no one paid her any heed—which was fine. She didn't want them to notice her.

Presently, she was reading her horoscope; trying to size up the week ahead of her. This did not always reassure her constantly wandering mind.

"Karin? I'm back!"

Abruptly, the bedroom door opened. In a flash, Karin clicked the little 'x' in the upper-right hand corner of the screen. However, it was too late to hide her music. It had already been heard. Thankfully, the lyrics had emanated from one of her "cleaner" songs.

Soon, her mother stood in the doorway—holding a distinctly shaped styrofoam container. Chicken it was then. As she took in the sight of her mother, the woman frowned.

"This is your History homework? Don't you have that research paper to write for tomorrow?"

This particular piece of homework involved two more pages of typing. Oh, well. She could hand it on Monday for partial credit if it got too late.

"I can listen to music and do homework at the same time," Karin responded matter-of-factly.

Her mother was observably counting to three. "I brought dinner. Eat it downstairs at the table for a change or at least in the living room—not up here. You're always up here."

Karin cringed at that 'not.' Her mother's tone meant business.

Reluctantly, she closed the web browser before shutting down the computer entirely. She had to eat sometime. Now was good as any other.

As Karin made her way to the first level of her home, she couldn't help but wonder what the psychic was doing right now. Something secret no doubt. Something mystical. Like his eyes. Never had she seen such a rich shade of purple. His entire demeanor spoke volumes that she couldn't read. This irritated her.

I have to see him again…

It was getting to be an obsession she knew. Still, she was getting her fortune read and getting to know that intriguing presence both. What could be better?

Positioning herself on the powder blue couch, Claire popped open the top of her ready-to-eat meal. Mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, and fried chicken greeted her. It was all a part of a balanced if not a bit unhealthy supper.

Her mother plopped down on the couch beside her. The silence was beginning to settle in.

Karin helped herself to a bite of biscuit before asking her question.

"Is dad any better today?"

Her mother sighed heavily. Karin was already resigning herself.

"The doctors don't know yet, sweetheart. They don't know."

"Do you think he'll get better soon? When will they know?"

Absent-mindedly, her mother fingered the golden cross at her throat. "Have patience, Karin."

Dropping the subject, Karin started on the chicken with the now fully formed intent of what to ask the vivid-eyed psychic next…


	3. Rambling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saiou's at a loss; Karin loses hope.

Saiou clasped his hands together. He was waiting for his next appointment. The Tarot cards were neatly stacked, and the atmospheric mood had been set. Candles and closed drapery were sufficient. Incense made his eyes water.

4:27. How often he checked the clock. How fast time ran in general. No different from a flowing stream, a patch of water one gazed upon for a brief instant would be succeeded by another patch of current the next. Oh, yes. So much time has already passed…

At 4:28—two minutes early—she arrived. She was clad in a school uniform and appeared both exhausted and out of breath. Dark circles hung under her eyes.

A troubled soul. Then again, I see a lot of troubled souls.

"Welcome," he greeted her. "Please have a seat and we can begin immediately if you wish."

Wordlessly, she settled herself into the contours of the armchair. Saiou noticed that her fingernails had been bitten down to the roots. A strange girl. A very strange girl indeed.

All at once, she fixed him with a soulful gaze.

"My father. I want to know when he'll get well. It's…killing me to wait—"

A pause. When she spoke no more, Saiou took this as a signal to play his benevolent role.

"Of course. First, allow me to shuffle the cards properly." Her impatience was starting to wear on his nerves.

"You mean…there is a way to tell when something is going to happen?" If possible, the girl's eyes grew more intense.

"With the cards, any query can be answered-if the person knows how to use them," he replied politely yet brusquely. "Now, allow me to carry out your request."

Needlessly, Saiou's hands continued to shuffle the cards as if on their own accord. He was keenly aware that he was strengthening a potential fatal bond, but this deck was all he had to cling to. It was his identity. It was his sanity. Even Mizuchi and Edo understood such things.

Fwap.

The card that Fate had chosen landed on the table. Its image boasted two willowy figures—one male and one female. Engagingly, they toasted one another with twin goblets. The Two of Cups.

"You will be reconciled with your father in two months and no less." Saiou was trying his best to maintain a gentle tone.

"That long?" The girl's face fell.

"The best things come to those who wait. Was there anything else?"

The girl was visibly concentrating despite her obvious heartache. Saiou couldn't help but admire her resilience. Finally, her lips opened again.

"When will the man I am destined for appear to me?"

Another question, another card. Saiou chose the next card with the unnameable sense that an invisible bridge had been crossed. A blade painted on the card's surface revealed itself to him. The Ace of Swords. For a moment, Saiou himself could not speak.

"Well, did he fall of the face of the earth or what?" The girl was attempting to make a joke. He didn't blame her.

"Quite the opposite. The Ace of Swords this man you are seeking should encounter you very soon. In under a day, I believe. Maybe even…tonight."

The girl was watching him carefully. It was taking a while to register. It was taking Saiou himself time to process it as well.

No.

The tense moment had passed and suddenly Saiou could breathe again. Gathering himself, he directed his previously scattered attention to his customer. "Is there any other concern I can help you with?"

"No thank you." The girl's voice sounded rather far-away. "I think I should try to find my future soulmate now."

Vaguely numb, Saiou took the girl's money and then simply sat there in the newly quiet room with one thought running through his mind.

Why me?

 

 

\---

 

 

Karin walked the street in a miserable mood. It was late, and her mother would be home. Consequently, her mother would be angry because she was not there likewise.

Gradually, the sun was sinking into the sky. It was approaching seven, and she still hadn't yet met The One.

But, his predictions are never wrong.

Tomorrow. He must have meant tomorrow…

Self-consciously, Karin tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her ear and wet her lips.

Who am I kidding?

After attracting a few offended stares from several passerby as Karin's eyes lingered longingly at each man that wandered into view, Claire at last confirmed that none of them were interested. As usual.

It's because I don't wear make-up, isn't it? Maybe I'm too flat-chested…

Resigning herself, Karin glumly mounted the steps that would lead to her front door. No sooner did she step onto the porch did the door itself fly open.

"Karin?" Her mother's voice invaded the peaceful twilight. "Where were you?"

She shrugged. "Walking." Karin hadn't told her analytical Aquarius mother about the psychic. She wouldn't understand. She especially wouldn't appreciate that she had spent eighty-nine dollars in all.

Her mother heaved a heavy sigh. "Get inside."

Without an ounce of protest, Karin complied. The door closed behind her with a deafening bang. Automatically, the questions started.

"Where were you walking? With whom? Why didn't you call?"

"I started walking around the neighborhood and didn't feel like going home right away." All Karin really wanted to do was get away and perhaps lock her bedroom door.

She's never around anyway. Why do I always have to remain here like a dutiful pet?

Foolishly, Karin edged towards the steps.

"Where are you going?" her mother demanded. "Explain yourself!"

"I have homework," Karin replied offhandedly. "I won't do it again. I promise."

"Somehow, I just don't believe you, Karin." For seemingly the umpteenth occasion, her mother sighed. "I suppose you don't even care about your poor father."

Suddenly, something in Karin snapped. Fiercely, she leveled her gaze. "I wish dad were here right now."

Hoping her mother would catch her meaning; Karin drifted up the staircase.

Where's my soulmate when I need him?


	4. Renewal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karin's life changes, and she meets Edo.

Title: Renewal  
Author: Fenikkusu Ai  
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
Pairing: Saiou/OC/Edo  
Word Count: 992  
Rating: T  
Summary: Being obsessed is sometimes considered perfectly natural.  
A/N: Wow, I never thought that this fic would be updated again, but I dusted it off and will try to finish it this time. The OC will take a slightly different direction than I had planned.

 

 

It was only a miracle that Karin was on the boat at all. She had passed her opening exam by the skin of her teeth. the negate attack she had drew had allowed her to tribute summon her Airknight Parshath and win the duel. Fate had allowed it.

Karin clutched at her cards. It was only by the grace of her deck that she was here at all. was her cards stared at the waves sea sickness but had not affected her However, it had claimed several of the other students. Those students had retreated back to their rooms with probably with a bucket in their immediate vicinity.

As Karin stared at the ripples and foamy waves, she closed her eyes and remembered.

 

\---

 

 

What had just happened?

Karin watched as the letter fell to the tiled kitchen floor; her mother's mouth had opened in shock.

She had been accepted. She had been accepted!

Her DA application. She had forgotten all about it. Apparently, her mother hadn't.

"What about dad?" Karin asked.

"Your grandparents will support you. They want you to go. You're a growing teenage girl, Karin. Too young to be worried like this. DA will give you an education. Use it well..."

 

\---

 

And so, Karin's future has been set in motion. When she did her Tarot reading that night, the Wheel of Fortune had been upright. A fortunate and sudden set of circumstances.

Suddenly, Karin felt a hand brush her forearm. She jumped.

"Ma'am? We're here."

A teacher's aide was standing next to her.

Karin blushed. She had just faded out.

After the faculty had held orientation, Karin wandered around outside. The tour had chewed up half her morning, but now she was free to do what she wished.

Right now, Karin desired to smell the salt on the breeze. It was so warm and the air was so clean. Karin was grateful for her skirt. Duel Academia was more of a vacation spot than an academy.

Speculatively, Karin scuffed her shoes on the grass. She knew that she needed guidance but wasn't sure where to go to obtain it. She supposed that's what the teachers were for.

Well, she may as well try to get some new cards. At the very least, she could browse through the shelves for spells and traps.

Karin followed the roadside signs until she found the card shop. However, Karin would soon discover that it had all been in vain. The plump matronly woman behind the counter told her kindly that they were all picked out and Karin had to wait for the next shipment. Which arrived by boat.

It was just her luck. Karin knew that it had to end sooner or later.

A bit dejected, Karin headed for the shoreline. Well, it was as good as time any any to pick through her deck. She could be dueling as early as tomorrow.

As she shuffled the familiar cards, a breeze caught the corner of one unfortunate square of paper and and swept it out of her hand. Karin stared after it dumbfounded before she reacted.

"Come back," she begged softly.

The card of course couldn't hear her and instead rode the air current until it landed near a pair of polished black dress shoes. Karin had no choice but to follow it over to where the feet where standing.

When she looked up into the face of their owners, Karin saw a winter prince with silver hair and rich blue eyes. He wore his powder grey suit with ease despite his young age. Speechless, Karin watched as he bent down and picked it up.

"Is this your card?" He held it between his fingers.

"Yes, thank you! You saved my deck!" Karin stammered as she snatched it back.

"You're welcome," he threw back carelessly. "Happy to help."

Although, that wasn't entirely true. She could have replaced it. Eventually. When the universe willed it.

Ironically, the recovered card that she held now was Royal Decree.

Under the stranger's gaze, Karin could feel prompted to say something. She felt too exposed under his eyes

"You know duel monsters could be a lot more like tarot cards."

The boy stared at her for a moment.

Yeah. If they redesigned the whole game...

Great. Now, she already had a reputation for being spacey. Karin didn't know why she had said it. She guessed that she wanted to mention her two passions.

The boy actually laughed at her and Karin was just about to sulk away in disappointment. He obviously found her amusing.

Finally, he spoke.

"Then, you and Saiou would get along."

Karin was curious. Who was Saiou? Yet, it was none of her business, so it was best not to mention it.

Karin could swore had seen him before. Gradually, a memory formed. The subject of breakfast came to mind. Had she seen him at a restaurant?

As she stared at him, she felt a blast of heat not unlike the summer day. The very air shimmered. Though, it was more likely to be humidity rather than magic.

Edo was so very colorful. Like a peacock.

Keep dreaming, Karin...

He will be important.

The new voice had almost been audible inside her swore that it spouted fro her gut. A gut instinct. Karin rarely ignored them. The intrusion had scared her.

"Well, see you!"

By the time he walked away, Karin was a nervous wreck was starting to sweat. As his figure faded from view, she realized that she was no longer alone. Apprehensively, Karin turned to new person.

"You were talking to Edo Phoenix," another girl in an Obelisk Blue uniform said slowly.

Edo Phoenix?

The realization of who that was resonated through her with a clap of thunder. It all made sense now.

Edo Phoenix. The pro duelist. The extreme sports star.

Then, it dawned on Karin where she had seen him before.

...Edo's picture had been on a cereal box.

Life was funny.


	5. Ran

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karin watches Edo vs Ryou; she meets Ran.

Title: Ran  
Author: Fenikkusu Ai  
Pairing: Saiou/OC/Edo  
Rating: T  
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
Genre: Angst  
Word Count: 1,175  
Summary: Being obsessed is sometimes considered perfectly natural.  
Disclaimer: Apart from Karin, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX nor the song "Purple Rain" which is by The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.  
A/N: The episode "I've Seen the Light/Saiou Enters! The Tarot Deck of Destiny" is referenced here.

 

 

 

Things were a little strange at this academy. Almost a too strange for her. At times, Karin yearned for the safety of her bedroom in her childhood home. The walls were pink and the furnishings were white wicker. There was a little wind chime in the window that tinkled with the sweeping gold curtains and there was a stash of chocolate stashed under her bed. Of course, the cuisine she ate now in the Blue Dorm was far superior to her own.

Though she spoke little, she always heard the gossip. Duel Academy needed its own newspaper to keep up with it. There was an issue with duel disks being stolen in the lands outside of the Academy and apparently the councilors wanted to demolish the Osiris Red Dorm. She was an Obelisk blue, so the situation didn't apply to her.

She also wasn't the sort who went looking for a duel, but if she was challenged she politely accepted. Karin had three wins and three losses. She wondered what that said about her. Even? ...average? Enough, she decided. She decided that she was enough.

She certainly couldn't complain that her course work wasn't challenging enough. Karin also learned that she had too many spells and not enough traps. That was fine with her. Though she never spoke out loud, she had no desire to actually win. She had no aspirations to be a duelist at the moment. She just wanted to find herself.

In the Obelisk Blue dorm, she just sat in just the right spot and felt that she had done nothing to earn it. Maybe she actually belonged in Ra Yellow.

Karin was just...average. Not unusual. Average girl, average duelist. Something one would expect to find. Like a cherry that found itself at the apex sundae only to be eaten.

Naturally, she also heard about Edo. He was a popular subject and a celebrity.

I talked to him.

Of course, Karin did not share her story to anyone else. No one would care or believe her words.

Slowly, Karin was absorbed by the social structure of Duel Academy. Karin honestly hated most aspects of society. She wanted a special someone, but the students of Duel Academy were so immature.

Karin still remained a free spirit, and her cards had the same nature. Though she could relate of her cards, she didn't know how to bring them to life

Friends.

Karin didn't have friends.

She was a blur after all. So, her world and became books and homework. Then again, Karin always studied. She was well above a B average. Her teachers rarely praised her though.

One good point of being here that she had had watched more televised duels more duels in general here than she had ever witnessed at home. Her mother didn't care for them as she had stopped dueling in high school around the same age Karin would be by graduation. She didn't know if it was from regret or a just a general lack of interest.

The former student known as Marufuji Ryo wore blue and white to his funeral.

Karin hadn't known Kaiser, but the upperclassmen around her all screamed his name. Loud.

Once again, Edo was in front of her even if it was just on a screen. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Then again, seeing a celebrity around on TV wasn't unusual. It wasn't exactly divine providence.

Even Karin knew that Ryo doomed when the power bond didn't hold.

Karin and the others watched silently watched as Edo just...wrecked him. Karin herself couldn't suppress a snicker when Edo treated Ryo's dragon like a pet.

Silently, she admonished herself. What in the world kind of person was she? To laugh at another's pain? It wasn't good sportsmanship.

No one even took notice of her inner struggle. Everyone had their own perception of the match.

Sometimes, she wished that someone, anyone, would take her hand and ask her.

Edo won. As she predicted, he did. Karin knew that she wasn't a born psychic, but at times she liked to think that she was.

Snug in her seat, Karin thought about Edo and also about Saiou who was probably still in the city predicting the fortunes of those who wandering in his shop. He'd probably forgotten all about her.

Karin saw the sneer on TVEdo's face. He had been so nice to her, but for the media, he was strident, brash, and cruel. An avenging fallen angel who had lost his was the real Edo? Karin knew that she shouldn't fret about it too much. After all, she knew that she probably wouldn't get to see him again.

Later, Karin decided to walk. There was quite a lot of commotion. People were yelling and looking for a "Yuki Judai." Karin didn't know him or the small Osiris Red and burly Ra Yellow frantically searching for him. Karin noticed that there was a certain kind of foreboding It emanating from the forest. Karin avoided it and started to stalk the seashore instead to look for seashells. Karin often wondered why no one else did. Then again, her immaturity was often pointed out to her. Students were looking for duels.

She sells seashells by the seashore...

All "she" wanted was more money.

Karin played word games with herself.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched a shadow that was not her own move towards her. Karin sat perfectly still. The sound of the waves pounded in her ears.

"Oh you, uh, freshman. Want a free lipstick? I have too many and need some space. "

The redhead known as Ran extended her hand to reveal four tubes of lipstick.

The question let alone the act was rather unexpected It was so random. Ran had barely spoken to her. Rather than keep her waiting, Karin swiped one randomly. Whatever she picked, she picked. She left it to chance. Of course this technique wouldn't work for her weekly exams. Maybe for drawing cards.

"Thank you."

"Whatever. it's no big deal." Ran breezed over her shoulder

So. Things just happened...here.

Perhaps Duel Academy was magic. Maybe there were ley lines here...

Did Karin have a sign in her hand? She looked at the label on the bottom of the tube of lipstick.

Lilac Storm.

If rain was ever purple, but, Karin was intrigued by the concept.

Wasn't a song called "Purple Rain" by an American artist called Prince?

She didn't know the lyrics offhand. Maybe she could look them up later. Maybe she would have someone to kiss in her future.

That night she dreamed of Takuma. He was standing by the sea and he seemed shocked and then pleased to see her. As Karin approached him, he seemed to glow an eerie white.

 

\---

 

Later, She found herself staring up at the ceiling baffled. She blinked as a shaft of moonlight moved across her bed.

He was here. Well, in a dream...

Karin's amber hair fanned out against the pillow as she became wrapped up in her dreams again.


End file.
